Infinite Stratos - Volume 7, page 6
"Yeah. That's really good."
"Do-Do you want to try some?"
"Is that good? Then I'll quickly—"
Saying that, Ichika reached his chopsticks out at Houki's plate. Ahem. Houki stopped him.
"I-I'll feed you..."
"Ah? Huh?"
"I-I SAID THAT I'LL FEED YOU!"
'"O-Oh..."
Held back by the sudden raise in volume, Ichika hesitated. Anyway, he nodded his head first.
Houki used her chopsticks to pick the meat and vegetables, and then used the left hand to bring it to Ichika's mouth.
"Here, ah~..."
"Ah~..."
"AAAHHHHH!!!"
Just when Ichika was about to eat it, a voice louder than Houki's echoed throughout the Gotanda's Eatery.
...It was Ran's voice.
"I'm telling you. Ichika got that girl already, so just give—AH!"
*BAM!* Putting his hand on Ran's shoulder, Dan tried to advise her, only to be stepped on the foot by Ran fiercely, and cringing in pain.
"Ah, ah. My fault—a-an."
"UUUU!!!"
Ran suddenly cried out. At that moment, the other customers seemed to be discussing about something, and there was quite the ruckus.
"What's with this?"
"Is it because of that young man?"
"Making Ran-chan cry!? UNFORGIVABLE!"
"THAT'S RIGHT!"
The male customers started to talk loudly, and Gen silenced them with a 'BE QUIET!'. Meanwhile, Houki was troubled due to the stares everyone was giving her. Now she can't do the 'Here, ah' thing again.
(WHY-WHY MUST IT ALWAYS BE LIKE THIS EVERY SINGLE TIME! EVERY, SINGLE TIME!)
*Gugugu*...the chopsticks that were being held tight sounded like they were about to break.
"Houki."
"What!?"
"Ah~"
She ate it.
Houki ate the fried prawn Ichika picked up for her in reflex.
"Well, the fried stuff's good too. Most likely, the way to cook it is really skillful."
"I-I see...that's true..."
Eating the fried prawn in large bites, Houki quickly swallowed the food and answered.
At that moment, Ran was standing behind the counter, glaring angrily at Ichika in tears, but Ichika didn't notice this stare as it was unfortunately too far away.
(I-Ichika fed me something...Ichika fed me something...)
Her heart pounding wildly, Houki's unable to control it as her face went completely red.
"The-Then, try some of the fried meat and vegetables."
Ignoring the chopsticks that were about to break, Houki picked it up and slowly picked up a portion of the Wildfire Roasted Vegetables.
Ah~...he ate it.
"Mn. Ngh ngh..."
"..."
Houki continued to stare at Ichika who was eating the Wildfire Roasted Vegetables. It wasn't something she cooked, but it couldn't be helped that she had this reaction.
"It's good!"
"Ye-Yeah!"
Houki's face suddenly bloomed like fresh floweres.
Both of them then continued to eat their own dishes, and Ran finally decided to move to the table.
"Eeeeeeeerrrrmmmm, doooooo yoooouuu neeed water..."
"Mn, thank you."
Ran took the glass cup with her trembling hand and poured water from the pot.
But the shocking image was still etched in her mind, unable to be shaken off, and she inadvertently splattered water all over the place.
"Wa!? Wha-What's wrong, Ran!? Are you alright?"
"Eeeeeehhhhh, iiiiiiiitttt's nothing, aha-ahahahaha..."
Her hand trembled even more as she poured water out for Houki, and large teardrops appeared in her eyes.
"Hey, Ran?"
"No-Nothing...nothing at all..."
Though Ran said that as she continued to wipe her tears and force the smile, her tears just continued to well up.
"Wha-What's wrong!?"
"U...UEEEEEEEEEHHH!!!"
Ichika got completely stunned, as he watched Ran dash out of the eatery.
"Wha-What's going on. Suddenly...sorry Houki. I've got to go out for a while."
Anyway, I've got to follow her. Ichika thought as he stood up. At that moment, several strong men stood up and blocked his exit.
"Murakami Shinzaburou, 42 years old, construction worker!"
"Yamamoto Juukura, 39 years old, civil engineer!"
"Yoshioka Shuichi, 47 years old, driver!"
"Terada Katsumi, 34 years old, Serviceman!"
"Chris Marcus, 29 years old, self-employed!"
The five men band suddenly announced their names and created a pose together. It seemed that the special effects of flames could be seen behind them.
"WE'RE THE RAN-CHAN FANCLUB ALLIANCE!"
"I-I see..."
"SO GO AND DIE!"
The five of them rushed up, but they were stopped by Gen's powerful arm.
"Huh, Gen-san..."
"Yo, Ichika...chase after her."
At that moment, Gen's veins started to pop out on his face. Since his cute granddaughter was made to cry, it couldn't be helped that he was raging.
"Ha-Haha...hahaha..."
Though the action hadn't ended, it was better to announce the weather report first.
As the grandfather's rage was completely burning, there would be a bloody maelstrom in the nearby area. People who were intending to go out, please make sure not to get involved.
◆
"Fugu...uuu..."
At a swing in a nearby park, Ran was alone, and dejected.
Her face was still full of tears up till now, and her eyes were all red now.
(Uu...Ichika-san's, he's going out with Houki-san...)
*Creak*...*creak*...the swing swayed about lifelessly, just like how Ran was feeling right now.
"Haa..."
Sighing, she took out the ticket from her purse.
It was an invitational ticket for the school festival of the traditional ojou-sama school[7B 7], Saint Marianne School, where Ran studied.
(I wanted to give this to Ichika-san...)
It's now a reality that can't happen anymore. Thinking about this, Ran wanted to use both hands to rip this ticket forcefully.
"Heey! Ran~!"
"Huh...? I-Ichika-san...?"
Seeing Ichika run over here while panting, Ran hurriedly released both hands and tried to hide the ticket she was about to rip behind her.
"Haa, haa, haa...so you were here..."
"I-Ichika-san, why..."
"Haa...haa...either way, I was worried since you ran off just like that."
Adjusting his erratic breathing, Ichika looked up.
His face looked like he got beaten badly, and it's all swollen.
"I-Ichika-san!? Your face, what happened!?"
"Ah!? It's nothing, well...I just fell. Hahaha."
Ran immediately realized that he was lying, and naturally thought that her grandfather did it.
"So-Sorry! It was all my fault..."
"Hm? Why?"
"Be...Because..."
He left Houki behind, and got beaten by grandpa. Even so, Ichika still ran out to look for Ran, and Ran was really touched by Ichika's gestures.
The sadness disappeared like it was a lie. At the same time, emotions welled up in her.
(I-Ichika-san's really kind...)
*DOKI DOKI!* The heartbeat sounded loudly in her heart. Ran could feel this agitated sensation of pain in her as she held both hands tightly together.
(May-Maybe I can say it out now...)
Deciding this, Ran forcefully sucked in her lips and lifted her head up.
"We-Well, Ichika-san!"
"Yeah."
"Th-This! If you don't mind, please read it!"
Saying that, she handed over the Saint Marianne School anniversary ticket.
"Hm? Ah, Ran's school is having its school anniversary?"
"Ye-Yes."
Ichika checked the date of the event. Huh? He thinks.
(This day. I think it's the same date as the dinner voucher I got from Mayuzumi-san...)
Ichika pondered.
(But it doesn't matter. The school festival will end before nightime.)
Thinking that, he decided to accept the invitation.
"Thank you. I'm keeping this then. I'll definitely come over."
"Ye-Yes! Aaaa, errrmm, that day, I'll, ah, lead the way! I'll guide you through. Can you give me a call once you reach the school?"
"Hm? Aren't you the Student Council President, Ran? Won't you be busy that day?"
"No no! It's alright! No problem! Everyone in the Student Council's outstanding!"
It's alright for me not to show myself! Ran said that as she stood upright.
"Really. I'll call you then."
"O-Okay!"
Seeing the radiant smile on her face, Ichika relaxed.
He didn't know the reason, but he was mindful that she was crying because of him.
On the other hand, as for Ran, her face that was full of tears was now showing delight.
(It's great, it's great, it's great! This is the school festival date I always dreamt of! It's really great!)
A ticket per person. It's every girl's wish in Saint Marianne school to invite their boyfriends, and Ran's maiden heart fluttered.
Of course, there will be a strict inspection by her female friends, but Ran was confident about it, thinking 'There won't be any problems if it's Ichika-san!'.
Besides, since he's 'The only guy in the entire world who can use IS', the Japanese government relaxed the restrictions, and he's often seen on magazines or TV adverts.
A while back, Ran was talking to her friends that she went out with Ichika. She chuckled when she remembered how everyone was so envious of her, and started laughing.
(Ehehe, I'm going to hold hands with him and walk around the school...ehe, eheh...♪)
"Then, let's go back."
"O-Okay."
Bringing the smiling Ran along, Ichika headed towards the Gotanda Eatery.
That night, Ran couldn't sleep at all due to overexcitement.
Chapter 3: Open your Heart!
It had been past a week since Ichika started looking for Kanzashi.
"Hey, pair up with me."
"Absolutely, not..."
As it happened everyday, news that Ichika was chasing Kanzashi non-stop soon spread.
"Hey hey, did you hear that?"
"I heard that Orimura-kun's trying to get closer to Sarashiki-san of Class 4."
"Huuh? That's a lie, right!? Why, why!?"
"I'm not really sure, but it seemed that Orimura-kun chose Sarashiki-san as his partner in the personal IS tag match."
"Huh, what about the rest?"
"Well, about that, how should I put it..."
–Cecilia Alcott's situation:
"Ichika-san...I'll make you regret for not pairing up with me. Fu, ufufu, fufufufu."
The [Starlight MKIII] and the four BITs fired out at the same time. As they were in [Polarized Shooting] trajectory, Cecilia shot down all the moving targets.
"Tremble to your heart's content under the Requiem that's played by me, Cecilia Alcott, and [Blue Tears]."
–Huang Lingyin's situation:
"I want my right shoulder part to be replaced with a spread [Impact Cannon], send me the package data of the piercing [Impact Cannon] on the left side. Also, [Souten Gagetsu]'s to be changed into a spear. Change the [Impact Cannons] on the wrists to a high voltage chain! To be done in three days—ha? Can't do it? DO IT EVEN IF YOU CAN'T! GET TO WORK!"
After sending a one-sided message to the person in charge of manufacturing her armaments in her own country, Rin fired the [Ryuuhou] at maximum output.
The ground exploded majestically, leaving a large crater in the arena.
"Watch this, Ichika...I won't forgive you even if you beg me for forgiveness!"
"Kukuku." Clenching her fist tightly, Rin's eyes were burning with battle intent.
–Charlotte Dunois' situation:
"Zzst—haa—"
Looking down from 200m above the central tower, there were 57 targets on the perimeter. They were all auto-fire mock-battle types.
"Let's go, [Revive]!"
*Swoosh!* Charlotte quickly swooped down. She was holding onto two large and long .59 caliber heavy machine guns [Desert Fox]es, one in each hand.
"..."
Not decelerating but accelerating, Charlottle swung the heavy machine guns and shot down her targets.
*CLUNK!* Once she used up her bullets, Charlotte threw her guns away and summoned a pair of Assault Blades.
Charlotte continued to maintain her maximum speed as she flew down to the ground in a straight line.
She continued to slice up all the targets in her path as she quickly approached the ground.
–HAAAAA!!
Just when she was about to crash hard into the ground, Charlotte did a 180 degree turn, using the thrusters on her feet to support her body. With that, she crossed her arms and threw the two blades in her hands, hitting the last target nicely.
"I'm a strong opponent here, Ichika."
Charlotte smiled. That angelic smile however was giving off an absolute zero-like freezing air.
–Laura Bodewig's situation:
*Creak*...*creak*...Laura was sitting on the bed of the changing room as she sharpened her knife.
Then, she raised the knife to check it.
The thing that was sharpened until it was glittering like a mirror was a sharp weapon that could cut off flesh on the slightest contact.
"...Ha."
Seeing her face reflected on the blade, a smile appeared on Laura's face.
(Instructor rejected me, and I couldn't pair up with Ichika. What was I doing...)
If it has come to this...
Black flames lit up in Laura's body.
(I'll show you. I'll let real terror strike your body, Ichika!)
*KLANG!* The knife that was thrown out went into Ichika's photo that was in her locker.
"I'll win! After I win, I'll make you completely mine, Ichika!"
Laura stood up and clenched her fist. There was no sign of hesitation in her eyes.
(That's right. Get ready, Ichika!)
Laura's eyes gazed sternly at the photo in the locker.
–Ah.
Looking closely, the knife pierced viciously into Ichika's forehead on the photo.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
It was the only photo she had. However, Laura completely forgot that she bought the negatives as she turned completely pale. She gingerly raised the photo that had a hole opened in it with both hands.
(I-I-I finally got this. It was the only photo in the world...)
She paid 200,000 yen to get the priority to choose at the photo auction Mayuzumi Kaoruko organized.
And she even bought the photo of the Ichika she liked, together with the negatives.
–That's not too bad.
But it was too late even if she thought of that. She had burned the negatives because she was afraid that others would duplicate it. In other words, this was really the only existing photo of Ichika in the world, the one that Laura liked the most. And this one photo now had a hole ripped through it viciously by the knife.
"D-Duct tape...if I use duct tape, maybe..."
Though Laura frantically rummaged through her locker, she only had military rations, prepared IS suits, knives, knives, knives and more knives.
"Huh..."
Forcefully poking out her face from the locker, Laura screamed loudly.
"MEDIC!! MEEEDDDDDIIIICCCC!!!!"
Her eyes were completely teary, and it most likely wasn't just a feeling.
...Either way, Ichika had been treated cruelly like an enemy by the girls with the personal ISes.
And as for the last important character, Shinonono Houki—
"Houki-chan get!"
"WAAH!? Wh-Wha-What's going on, Sarashiki—san!?"
After school, she was caught by Tatenashi while doing Iaido[7C 1] training in the kendo dojo.
"Ah hun, call me Tatenashi."
"Ta-Tatenashi-san. Is something the matter? I'm doing self-training."
"Ha, Iaido with real swords? You're going for real."
"Yeah, sort of. I'm a descendant of a family that went through the Sengoku Era[7C 2] after all."
"Really? Okay, I understand. Houki-chan, pair up with me!"
"What!?"
"Please! I-It's unbearable that no one wants to pair up with me."
"I see, alright..."
Tatenashi put her palms together and begged. Seeing Tatenashi like that, Houki was so troubled that she couldn't look back at her coldly.
"Okay?"
"Well, this, if that's the case, I don't really mind..."
"Really? That's great. Houki-chan's so kind."
Tatenashi's face went from troubled to delighted as she gave a radiant smile.
(Uu...! I-I got fooled, huh...?)
Just when Houki was wondering about that, Tatenashi grabbed Houki's hand and walked out.
"Come on, let's go. Let's do it!"
"Whe-Where are we going?"
"The checkup room. I want to see Houki-chan's biometrics."
"Whaa..."
"Oh my. Isn't this important? IS have an auto-adjust mechanism, but it's not good to do these adjustments without the latest figures."
"I-I see."
Understanding Tatenashi's smooth explanation, Houki found herself in front of the checkup room.
"Open sesame!"
As she said that, Tatenashi touched the switch on the door. *Phoosh*. The sound of compressed air being released could be heard, and the door opened diagonally.
"Then, I'll operate this. Houki-chan, please stand on the scanning area."
"Okay."
Summoning the control panel, Tatenashi began to prepare the data scan.
During this time, Houki wiped her sweat off with the towel on her neck.
"Okay, I'm ready. How are you feeling, Houki-chan?"
"I'm okay here."
"O-kay, let's begin."
*Beep*, *beep*. The keyboard was tapped, and the scanner floated up from below Houki's feet, shooting out an intensive green light on her body.
"Hm, this is..."
"Is there a problem?"
"Houki-chan's breasts are really big. Maybe I lose by a notch."
"WH-WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?"
"Ahaha. Sorry, sorry."
